Release Year: 2018

While it runs out of steam far sooner than it should have done, ‘Hello Mr. Billionaire’ does offer a few smiles along the way.

It’s a solid study of the strains that sudden fame has on friendship, especially when the screaming girls and management team are favouring two members over the whole five.

What could have been a fun period set actioner is instead a rushed, confusing sequel which, as other reviews have pointed out, seems to have been cobbled together in a rush from unused footage from the first ‘Iceman’.

‘Illang’ looks fantastic, often thrills, and features some incredible and expertly staged action but suffers from pacing issues and a lukewarm emotional core.

There are some genuinely witty moments in there and they prove the perfect covering for the many more that end with a whimper.

Tsukamoto proves that he can stand with the filmic legends as he proudly represents a unique sense of style in a densely populated medium.

‘Kung Fu League’ displays the good and bad of Lau, a fact that means it’s never a smooth journey through the hundred minutes, but you don’t necessarily feel too aggravated by the end.

‘Lady Detective Shadow’ is part Detective Dee and part ‘Come Drink With Me’ though nowhere as good as either.

Competently directed by the legendary Yuen Woo-Ping and utilising a decent budget, ‘Master Z’ is pleasingly straight-forward, action soaked entertainment.

Groovy, gory, good time from ‘The Night Comes for Us’ director Timo Tjahjanto, ‘May the Devil Take You’ ramps up the craziness when the devil decides to collect his dues.

Each of the protagonists has their own trial to overcome, each has a solid character arc, and each contributes to the infectious enthusiasm created herein.

The new material alone isn’t really worth the time investment, and there are far too many missing elements for newcomers to make this their jumping-off point.